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Jefferson, Iowa

9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1993. It stands in Jefferson City. It lies in ZIP code area 50129. The Survey maps it on the Jefferson West quadrangle. 4,182 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,066 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Jefferson within Greene County

On record in Jefferson

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 9 records

Population over time

2 figures

Jefferson fell from 4,345 to 4,182 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
20104,345
20204,182-163 (-4%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

7 surveys from 9 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

1 since 2006

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1 fire within 5 miles of Jefferson in 2006, burning about 2 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
10 March 2006Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Greene County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 11 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 11 workings within 5 miles of Jefferson: 9 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Armstrong PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Beazor Pit and PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Farlin-Schlick PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Ferguson PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Finch PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Head PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Mcgregor PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Morden PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Richardson PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
UnknownSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Greene County

Storms near this place

60 of 72 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Jefferson in 72 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 29 thunderstorm wind, 16 hail, 15 heavy rain, 6 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 2007FloodJefferson$250,000no account filed
April 2018Thunderstorm WindJefferson$150,000Emergency Manager relayed damages in Jefferson to several buildings and trees, power lines down, and trees on cars.
April 2018Thunderstorm WindJefferson$100,000Delayed report from a former TV meteorologist of damage to numerous buildings, trees, and power lines. Based on damage, estimated wind speeds of 70 to 80 mph.
April 2018Thunderstorm WindJefferson$100,000Trained spotter reported large campers flipped, power lines snapped, multiple buildings damaged.
June 1998FloodJefferson$100,000no account filed
April 2018Thunderstorm WindJefferson$50,000KCIM Radio in Carroll relayed listener report of roof damage at McAtee Tire. Also reported power outages. Time estimated from radar.
September 2004Tornado (F1)Jefferson$50,000Small tornado caused garage, porch, and tree damage from about 310th Street and O Avenue to 290th Street and P avenue showing the most damage. Damage in Rural areas was to trees and power poles.
March 2007FloodJefferson$50,000no account filed
May 2007FloodJefferson$50,000no account filed
April 1998FloodJefferson$50,000no account filed
August 2014Thunderstorm WindJefferson$30,000Numerous reports of trees down and power lines down across the county.
May 1998HailJefferson$25,000Wind gusts to 50 MPH.
July 1998FloodJefferson$25,000no account filed
May 2013Flash FloodJefferson$20,000Water over the road at K Ave and 250th caused by flash flooding.
August 2014Thunderstorm WindJefferson$15,000Trees were blown down in Jefferson.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindJefferson$10,000Law Enforcement reported large trees down in Jefferson. Skid loaders out removing debris.
April 2001Thunderstorm WindJefferson$10,000no account filed
July 2000Thunderstorm WindJefferson$10,000no account filed
July 2012Thunderstorm WindJefferson$5,000One and one half foot diameter trees down and corn flattened.
June 2006Thunderstorm WindJefferson$5,000no account filed
June 2005Thunderstorm WindJefferson$5,000no account filed
June 2005Thunderstorm WindJefferson$5,000no account filed
July 2002Thunderstorm WindJefferson$5,000no account filed
April 1999HailJefferson$5,000no account filed
June 1994Thunderstorm WindJefferson$5,000no account filed
July 1994Thunderstorm WindJefferson$5,000no account filed
August 1993HailJefferson$5,000no account filed
August 1993HailJefferson$5,000no account filed
June 2013HailJefferson$3,000White core with clear ice around the edge.
September 2006Thunderstorm WindJefferson$3,000no account filed
June 2005Thunderstorm WindJefferson$3,000no account filed
June 2005Thunderstorm WindJefferson$3,000no account filed
November 2003HailJefferson$3,000no account filed
February 2000HailJefferson$3,000no account filed
July 1998Thunderstorm WindJefferson$3,000no account filed
June 2007HailJefferson$2,000no account filed
June 2005Thunderstorm WindJefferson$2,000no account filed
June 2005HailJefferson$2,000no account filed
June 2001HailJefferson$2,000no account filed
April 2008HailJefferson$1,000Nickel size hail was reported in Jefferson.
April 2001Thunderstorm WindJefferson$1,000no account filed
July 2000Thunderstorm WindJefferson$1,000no account filed
April 1999HailJefferson$1,000no account filed
April 1998HailJefferson$500no account filed
August 2025Thunderstorm WindJefferson-Split tree and many 3 inch diameter limbs down. Delayed report, time estimated via radar.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindJefferson-Damage to gas station canopy with partial collapse of structure. Report from KCCI TV.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindJefferson-Trees down and power out in Jefferson.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindJefferson-Trained spotter reported trees and power lines down.
September 2019HailJefferson-Trained spotter reported quarter sized hail.
August 2018Heavy RainJefferson-Mesonet station recorded heavy rainfall of 3.03 inches over the last 24 hours.
May 2017Heavy RainJefferson-Trained spotter reported heavy rainfall of about 2.00 inches over the last 24 hours. This is a location correction to earlier report.
June 2017HailJefferson-Trained spotter reported dime to quarter sized hail.
April 2016Heavy RainJefferson-Trained spotter reported heavy rainfall of 2 inches.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindJefferson-Trained spotter estimated 60 mph wind gusts. No damage noted at the time.
June 2015Heavy RainJefferson-Public reported heavy rainfall of 4.51 inches over approximately the last 24 hours.
June 2015Heavy RainJefferson-Coop observer reported heavy rainfall of 3.85 inches over the last 24 hours.
September 2015Heavy RainJefferson-Public reported heavy rainfall of 2.45 inches at 7am. Actual end time radar estimated.
December 2015Heavy RainJefferson-Trained spotter reported heavy rainfall of 3.25 inches storm total.
June 2014Heavy RainJefferson-Rainfall of 0.62 inches in 45 minutes.
October 2014Heavy RainJefferson-Rainfall from overnight was 1.62 inches.

Every storm recorded in Greene County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Winkelmans3.7 miles10
Farlin5.7 miles9
Gravel Pit5.9 miles9
Cooper6.8 miles10
Green Brier6.8 miles10
Grand Junction7.3 miles11
Scranton8.9 miles8
Dana9.6 miles11

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on JeffersonAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1769522The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 457919. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.